Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-08-05
NO. /.
FOREIGN LAND SHARKS,
The Maxwell Land Grant Swindle is
now Success History of the Steal.
Original Resident 0wEerS Cheated Out
of their Homes by Alien Holders.
The Trouble Due to a Dispute over the
Size of the Original Grant.
ALIEN LANDLORnisM


| RATION, \. NJ, Aug 1.-For twenty
| years OF more American citizens have
| been establishing themselves Within the
! tract now known as the Maxwell Land
| Grant. This grant is sixty miles one
| way and fifty miles another and ia almost
| big enough for a state. 1t lies in
| Northern New Mexico and Southern Col
| orado. The trouble which has occurred
| over this land, with which the readers of
/ this paper are familiar, is due entirely
/ to ditferance of opinion as TO the size
of the original grant. There appears to
be no doubt in unpred JUDGED minds that
| the original grant was much smaller than
| that which has since been claimed by the
land sharks and grabbers who have made
| fortunes out cf their part in the deal
The swindle has been long time in pro
| gress. 1t is now a success.
! During the last twenty years the set
| tiers have been under
TWO FOREIGN MASTERS
! First they fell under the rule of an
! English company. Now they are at the
mercy of Dutch company. When the
| English corporation, which at one time
controlled the Maxwell grant, was in pos
| session its agent sought to enforce its
| claims upon the settlers and war was the
| result. For few years there was more
murders on the Maxwell grant than there
were in all the rest of the United States
! together, and the perpetrator of not one
IN twenty was ever apprehended. The
Dutch company now IN possession Is
! more circumspect, and it will endeavor to
| make terms with the settlers which will
| be satisfactory all around. Ii has won
all its legal battles; it has sure thing on
| this title and it feels that 1t can afford
to be magnanimouS. All it asks is that
several thousands of American citizens
long resident there will acknowledge its
supermancy and
PAY RENT HEREAFTER
with old world regularity. 1t is for the
| purpose of discussing this point and
agreeing upon a policy for the future
that the settlers will this week hold a
meeting here. Most of them are said TO
be in favor of giving il, though some are
anxious for a fight. As the Supreme
Court of the United States has finally
decided that the grant as fixed by a
fraudulant survey is correct and that the
title rests III the Dutch company, any re
sistance which the settlers ca make will
be futile. One of the settlers Is Richard
Taylor, Il relitive of President Zachary
| Taylor, and another is John Young, a son
of Ex-Governor Young, of Missouri.
Nearly all the settlers kave herds, though
some are miners and farmers. They
came here long before the lands which
they took up were claimed by the Max
well company, and the triumph of the
grab in the court of last resort deprivos
them of their holdings or forces them to
buy from an alien, property which they
already own.
Nothing but the hopelessness of the
case prevents the biggest kind of a row.
If the few hot heads should manage to
control the meeting here it is certain
the Hollanders and their agents wonld
have lively times unless they could get
the United States army at their backs.
As this is probably the first case in the
history of the republic in which Amer
lean citizens have met to consider the
question of
ALIEN LANDLoRDIsM
it is an event of much historical interest.
The trickery by which so largo Il section
Cf country was brought under such sub
lection is also worthy of remembrance.
Fifty years ago, when this whole section
belonged to Mexico, it was the custom
of that country to make grants of lands
were roughly described, and with great
diffic ulty defined They never reached
the magnitude claimed for the Max
well grant, however. In 1S41 the Mex
lean Government made this grant to two
Frenchmen named Beaubien and Miranda
They established tradeing post on the
tract, and for some time did big busi
ness with the Indians. Miranda finally
sold out, and Beau bien was in sole poss-
ession when John G.. Fremont came
through on his first exploring expidition.
With him came a young man named Lu.
Glen B. Max well, who abandoned Fremont
here and remained at Beaubien's ranch,
where he cOurted, won, and married the
old Frenchman's daughter. Soon after
ward Beaubien died, and Maxwell, buy
ing out the other heirs for small sums,
became the sole owner of the grant,
which therefore took his name. He was
a shrewd trader, and he and Lis wife
lived in feudal magnifcence. They had
hosts of relitiy es. They entertained
most lavishIy. They were ricn. Every
body else was poor. They had almost no
connection with the outer world, and for
a time they reigned like a royal couple.
Maxweil's extravaganza at last got him
into trouble, and to settle up his affairs
he sold the grant in 1868 for S1,375,00O.
1t was then understood that the trade
comprised about 100000 acres, but the
new owner, the Maxwell Land Grant Com
pany, in which Steve ElkIns, Senator
Chaffee, Senator Chilcot, Governor Nc
Cook, and others were interested
MADE CLAIM TO ANOTHER MILLION ACRES.
Ana appeal was made 10 the General
Land Office at Washington and new
survey was made which resulted in ex-
tending the boundaries ofthe grant into
Colorado aud including within the grant
about 100000 acres. On this survey
conducted by brother of Steve Elkins,
a patent for the entire amount of land
was issued by order of president Hayes
and it was for the purpose of setting
aside this patent that the protractcd
legal proceedings, begun under President
Arthur and continued under President
Cleveland were instituted.
Once in possession of the patent. the
Maxwell Company employed shrewd
agent named Wilson Psddingham to sell
the grant in London. How he and
Frank Sherwin filed the cara of English
capitalists with stories of the wonderful
wealth of the tract, and at length dis
posed of il to them at q big price is well
kIO~u+ Inc AA5H was tdp
italized at S50,000000 and il started ont
to put the tract under tribute. when it
discovered il had been deceived, and
that moreover the government was con-
testing the validity of the title. Having
high appreciation OF the smartness of
Waddingham, the Englishmen employed
the man who had goughed them to help
them out of the scrape, and after q time
he succeeded in selling the grant to
party of Dutch capitalists who pat up
plenty of money, some say S16,000,0o0
and thus made the Britishers whole.
Waddington is said to have made 81 1000,
600 by the two transactions. II is this
Dutch company which now has the
title.
There was nobody that it could unload
upon, and it accordingly decided to stand
or fall on the validity Of the title. AS
the S1preme Court las most unexpected
ly confirmed the grant, the Hollanders
now have chance 10 make something by
their investment. 1t is their first de-
mand on the settlers for rent which has
called forth the meetings announced for
this week. The expectation is at most of
them committees will be appointed to
negotiate with the aliens, and thus will
begin in its most offensive form foreign
Ian dlordism in the United States.
Joaquin Miller, il is said, mas purchased
tract of land at Fruit Vale, Cal, and is